Time control lock



Dec. 1, 1942. G. F. CLAUS TIME CONTROL LOCK Filed April 5 1941 Patented Dec. 1, 1942 U NITED .1; STATES 1 PAT EN OFFICE; 2,303,614 TIME-CONTROL LOCK George F. Claus, Pasadena califw Application :Aprilw3, 1941, Serial'No. 386,709 I 3 Claims. (01. 70=2e7 This invention :relates generally to locking .dee'

vices for closures and pertains particularly .to 'a time actuated or controlledilock for .doors.. is

The primary object of .theipresent invention is l to provide a novel and :improved mechanism'ior controlling-a locking apparatus for adoor :struc-fi.

ture in such way thatsuch'apparatus. cannot .be

manipulated for the opening of the door .until after the passage of a predetermined :period of time. Such mechanismimay be used upon doors of private houses, institutions. or safesyand when set is designed to positively prevent the release ing of the door locking apparatusuntil after a certain period of time has elapsed.-

Another object of theinvention is to provide a controlmechanism for 'a door securing appa-.

ratus which may be'coupled with a clockmechanismeithersof the electrical type or of a spring controlledtype ormay .be operated by a slow speed electric motor, the:apparatus.including a feed .screw and nut thereon,.which is slowly fed to a position where it will release theadOOI' lock-o ing apparatus. .7

The invention will be best understood froma consideration of the following detailed description. taken. in connectioniwith the accompanying drawing, it being understood. however, that the invention is not to be considered-as limitednby the specific illustration or description but that such illustration and: description constitutes a pre,

ferred embodimentiof thesinvention. y

In the drawing:

Fig.2:1 illustrates asdoor structure ,partlyin elev vationand partly, in :section, showing. ;the :time. controlled apparatus embodying the. present invention operatively coupledtherewith.

Fig. 2 is a horizontalsectionltakenaon the. line 2-2. of Fig.. l. 1.

Fig313 is a vertical sectiointaken-on the line 3-1-3 0f Fig.1;

The door structuregtogether withithe. supporting means. thereforand a portion "of the-locking v mechanism or=locking apparatus formsthe sub-.

ject-matter; of my prior Patent No.. 2,172,649, issued Septemberl2, 1939, and the present time 1 controlled mechanism is designed andillustrated tofunctionin association withthe locking apparatus foritheidoorstructure which is illustrated .7

in this priorpatent. yiHoweveniit willbe readily understood that this time. controlled'mechanism may be employed in association with other locking apparatus for doors or. similarclosures where-v in arotarylbolt is employed,

In the structure illustrated, .the numeral ll generally designates a door frame having'the opposite side uprights or jambs 2. Withinthe frameis disposedthe'door structure 3 which has a central cabinet or chamber 4 which is closed by the opposite doors or panels 5.

The jambs 2 have their opposing faces reby which the door may :be swung in this manner comprises a pair of verticallyspaced hinge units 9 located at each of thefour corners of the door, two of these hinge units being coupled with the stud 1 whilethe other two'are coupled with the A stud 8. These hinge units'are in the usual-two sections which are pivotally joined'togetherby pintles Iii and each pair of pintles is operatively coupled with a vertically reciprocable- 'rod H which'makes it possible to remove thepintles of any three pairs of hinges,-so that :the fourth pair may function to support the door for opening movement. These pintle rods are controlled by the horizontally disposed levers l2 which extend across-the adjacent edge of the door between the sameand the jamb to the far side of the wall structure in which the door is mounted, so that the pintles can be shifted as desired, from either side of the door. After the selectedhinges have been uncoupled by the shifting of their pintles. and, of course, after the doorlocking apparatus hasbeen'released, the door can be shifted toward the jamb adjacent which is located the pair of hinges selected for the support of the door so as to separate the partsof the remote pairs of hinges and thus permit the door to be swung freely to openedor closed position. This shifting movementof the door in the frame is accomplished by the swivel screw !3 supported by each jamb and having threaded connection with the adjacent stud.

The locking apparatus'for the door comprises cooperating, parts carried by the door and a jamb. In the door there is 1 mounted an interiorly threaded sleeve M which opens through the adjacent vertical edge of the door'body and which at its inner end abuts against a guide I5 in which is threaded a pin Hi,- one end of which is accessible from within the. cabinet or chamber 4. In the stud 8 which opposes theithreaded sleeve I l, there is mounted a threadedsleeve i7 through which is threadably' extended the exteriorly threaded bolt guide cylinder it, which :has upon that end remote from the door, a head H! by which its rotation in the sleeve I1 is efiected;

This bolt guide cylinder is designed to be threaded 2 or both sides of which may be reached through lock controlled doors 2!. The head 19 of the cylinder I8 is accessible from within this chamber 20. This chamber houses the time controlled mechanism hereinafter described.

The numeral 22 designates the door securing bolt and, as shown, this bolt passes through the threaded cylinder I8 and has one end extended into the wall chamber 29, while upon itsother end is a threaded head 23 which has threaded engagement within the door carried sleeve I4.

, it will take a period of vanced to a position The end of this head 23 is provided with a longitudinally directed threaded bore 24, inwhicl1 is engaged the threaded locking pin IS. The head 23 of the bolt is of larger diameter than the body of the bolt and, therefore, cannot be drawn into the guide cylinder 3, consequently, it will be seen that when the head of the bolt is threaded into the door carried sleeve l4 and the guide cylinder i8 is threaded inwardly until it is in contact with the sleeve l4, the bolt cannot be retracted until the cylinder is first retracted.

Within the chamber is mounted the operating unit for the time controlled mechanism, which unit is indicated generally by the numeral 25. This unit may constitute an ordinary spring operated clock mechanism, an electric clock or an electric motor. From the operating unit extends a shaft 28 which has one end supported in a suitable hearing, as indicated at 21, and a portion of this shaft is screw threaded, as indicated at 28. Supported upon the threaded portion 28 of the shaft 28 is a nut 29 which has a radial extension 30. The threaded shaft 26 is parallel with and directly below the bolt 22, and there is secured to and supported upon the end of the bolt 22, a hood body 3!, the lower or under side of which has the axially extending recess or slot 32, in which the portion 30 of the nut slidably. engages. Extending upon opposite sides of the nut 29 and parallel with the shaft 26 are guide arms 33 which prevent the nut from turning with the shaft but cause it to move longitudinally as the shaft is rotated.

The shaft 26 carries a collar 34 provided with anumber of apertures to receive a suitable pin,

not shown, by which rotation of the shaft may be effected by hand. This is provided for the re-- setting of the mechanism as will hereinafterbe described.

The threads on the shaft may be of any desired pitch so as to cause the nut to be advanced toward the adjacent doorjamb at a, rapid or slow pace, according to the length of time which it is desired shall elapse between the time when the door is locked and the time when it is to be released for opening. Provision may also be made for the removal of the shaft, so that shafts havingthreads of different pitch may be substituted when the time period is to be changed, this arrangement being particularly desirable where the shaft is to be turned by a motor.

From the foregoing, it will be readily seen that when the door has been secured by the provision of the bolt 22 intothe door carried threaded sleeve l4 and the cylindrical guide l8 has been advanced inwardly against the sleeve l4 in the manner shown, the shaft 26 can be rotated to bring the extended portion of the nut 29 into the slot of the h'ood 3l, this setting of the nut with respect to the hood being manually accomplished, After the mechanism has thus been set, the opfor sliding engagement in said groove,

crating unit may be started so that the nut will be caused to be fed by the screw 28 slowly toward the j-amb so that it will release the hood 3| after the passage of a predetermined period of time. If, for example, the pitch of the screw is coordinated with the speed of rotation of the time unit 25, so that when the nut is fully within the hood,

sixteen hours to be adwhere it will be fully released from the hood, it will be seen that if the clock is used in a business establishment which closes at five o'clock and the time clock is set into operation at this time, the bolt 22 will not be released by the nut 29 until nine o'clock the following morning, which may be the opening time for the establishment. After the hood has thus been released by the nut, it will be readily seen that the other elements of the locking apparatus can be manipulated to release the door, by first backing out'the guide l8 away from the door carried sleeve M, then releasing the threaded pin l6 from the headedend of the bolt, and then rotating the bolt to back itout of the sleeve Hi.

What is claimed is:

1. A time control locking mechanism comprising a bolt supported to have combined rotary and longitudinal movement, and mechanism for maintaining the bolt against rotary movement for a predetermined period comprising a worm a nut carried by the worm, means facilitatin the establishment of a sliding connection between the nut and said bolt, said worm when rotated for a predetermined period efiecting relative movement of the nut and the bolt to disengage the same one from the other, and means connected with the worm for imparting rotary motion thereto.

2. A time control locking mechanism comprising, a bolt supported to have combined rotary and longitudinal movement in shifting between locking and unlocking positions, and mechanism for maintaining said bolt against rotary movement for. a predetermined period after it has been shifted to locking position, comprising a body carried by the bolt and having a groove extending lengthwise of the bolt, a worm supported for rotation coaxially with the bolt, a nut threadably connected with the worm and adapted for sliding engagement in said groove, and a prime mover operatively coupled with the worm to effect rotation of the'same.

3. A time control locking mechanism comprising, a bolt supported to have combined rotary and longitudinal movement in shifting between locking and unlocking positions, and mechanism for maintainingsaid bolt against rotary movement for a predetermined period after it has been shifted to locking position, comprising a body carried by the bolt and having a groove extending lengthwise. of the bolt, a worm supported for rotation coaxially with thebolt, a nut threadably connected with the worm and adapted and a prime mover operatively coupled with the worm to effect rotation of the same, said worm having threads of a predetermined pitch and said groove having such length in relation to the pitch of the threads as to effect movement of the nut from a position in full engagement in said groove to a position free of the groove within a predetermined period of time.

GEORGE F. CLAUS. 

